


Culpability

by Trufreak89



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Carmilla Big Bang 2017, Detective AU, F/F, Minor Character Death, Other, References previous Hollence relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-12-30 07:15:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12103533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trufreak89/pseuds/Trufreak89
Summary: Detective Laura Hollis finds herself paired with her ex-partner, Danny Lawrence, in the hunt for a serial killer in the sleepy city of Silas.Things get personal when Laura's old college roommate becomes a victim, leading Laura to the Alchemy Club and its enigmatic owner; Carmilla Karnstein.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Entry for Carmilla Big Bang 2017. I have the first 5 chapters fully written, at around 20k words. The accompanying art is awesome and was done by Solaert, check it out on their tumblr!

  
“We, the jury, find the defendant, Theo Straka, not guilty.” The unexpected verdict led to an eruption of noise within the courtroom.

Those on the side of the defense were whooping and cheering, celebrating a victory that should never have happened. On the other side of the courtroom, and definitely not cheering, sat Laura Hollis. If there was one thing she hated, it was watching scumbag murderers walk free.

The case against Straka had been solid. She’d spent six long months making sure that the ADA had everything he would need to put the college senior behind bars; and keep him there for the rest of his wretched life. Detective Hollis watched in despair as the twenty-year-old murderer was told by the judge that he was now a free man.

Laura felt sick to her stomach. The only thing stopping her from reaching for her gun was the strong sense of moral fiber that her father had instilled in her from an early age. She wasn’t a dirty cop or a Magnum toting maverick. She worked within the letter of the law. She’d find a way to bring Straka to justice. It would be a way that still allowed her to look at herself in the mirror in the morning.

Slipping out of her seat, she tried to leave while the fanfare was still going on, hoping to slip away unnoticed. It just wasn’t her day. The father of the teenager that Theo Straka had killed was standing at the back of the courtroom. It was difficult for Laura to look him in the eye, but she forced herself to do it. She owed the man that much; and so much more.

“Mr. Jacobson.” Laura addressed him solemnly. She had been the one who’d notified the family of Maria Jacobson about her death. Laura was the one who swore to Maria’s father that she would find her killer and bring him to justice. Laura had done her part, but somehow that didn’t feel enough.

“I am sorry…” The detective started to apologize, but something about Jacobson’s expression stopped her in her tracks.

At twenty-six, Laura Hollis was the youngest homicide detective on the Silas Police Force. She’d joined the academy right out of college and worked her way up to detective through hard work and sheer determination.

Laura had learned how to spot when something wasn’t right, and the blank look on Jacobson’s face was setting off alarm bells in her head. It only took a single cursory glance for her to figure out what it was that had her on edge. The bulge in the inside pocket of Jacobson’s sports jacket was definitely not a fountain pen.

He was reaching for whatever the mystery object was, even as Laura raised her hand to stop him. She grasped his wrist in a grip that was surprisingly strong for a woman of her size. “Sir, whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t.” Laura’s voice was firm and authoritative. She didn’t reach for her gun or call out for help. She stared the bereaved father down, willing him to see sense.

“This isn’t the end. Not by a long shot. We will get him, but not like this. Please, think of your wife, and your sons. They’ve already lost Maria, don’t make them lose you too.”

For a few gut-wrenching seconds, nothing happened. Jacobson kept his hand wrapped around the butt of the pistol he’d somehow managed to smuggle inside of the courthouse, and Laura kept her grip on his wrist; praying she wouldn’t have to pull her own gun and shoot dead the grieving man.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, he let his hand drop back down to his side. Laura slipped her hand into his inside pocket, pulling out the concealed .9mm pistol and quickly tucking it into her belt. 

Her blazer hid the illegal firearm from sight. Mr. Jacobson seemed to visibly deflate once it was gone. His shoulders sagged and he slumped forward. Laura stepped in to catch him, cushioning his fall as he fell to his knees. One of the court officials moved in to help, giving Laura the chance to slip away.

The gun at her waistband felt like a ball and chain. She moved slowly through the crowded halls, afraid that any sudden movement might reveal the confiscated weapon. Laura’s anxiety grew and grew until she was finally outside on the steps of the courthouse. Once outside, she felt like she could breathe freely again; at least for a moment.

“Detective Hollis!” The smarmy voice of Theo Straka sliced through Laura like razor wire through cheese. He was the kind of rich kid daddy’s boy who could afford to buy his way out of any kind of trouble; apparently, that extended to a murder charge. Laura clenched her teeth before turning to face the man she’d worked so hard to put away.

“My friends and I are heading off to a club to celebrate this joyous occasion. You’re more than welcome to come along… to prove there are no hard feelings on my part. You were just doing your job, after all. Even if you were barking up the wrong tree.”

“Let’s get one thing straight!” Laura shoved the college student, pushing him out of her personal space. At over 5ft 9’ he towered over her, but Laura wasn’t afraid of the likes of him. Theo was a bully and a coward. He’d assaulted and killed a seventeen-year-old girl, but only after he’d drugged her.

“You’ll pay for what you did! I won’t rest until you’re locked away in a cage, like the animal you are!”  
“Oh, I could show you how much of an animal I am, baby.” Theo leered, devouring the detective with his intense brown eyes.

“Really? I didn’t think I’d be your type, being conscious and all.” Laura snorted in disgust, her hand coming to rest on the holster at her hip. “Come anywhere near me, or hurt anyone else, and I will put a bullet between your eyes.” It wasn’t a threat, simply a promise. Theo must have gotten the message, because he started backing off, rejoining his family and his lawyers. 

 

“Hey boy, did you miss me?” Laura greeted her dog with an affectionate pat on the head. The shaggy-haired German Shepard wasn’t satisfied with a simple pat though. He jumped up at Laura, his paws easily reaching her shoulders as he tried to lick her face.

“Down, boy! Sirius, Down!” Laura’s playful shoves at the overgrown dog were half-hearted at best. He only relented when Laura mentioned feeding him. She walked past her answering machine, ignoring the blinking light that announced she had waiting messages.

Shrugging off her blazer and tossing it onto the kitchen counter, she saw to feeding Sirius. Bending down to put his bowl back on the floor, she was reminded of the gun tucked into her belt. She pulled the pistol out.

All of the usual identifying markers had been filed away, leaving the gun untraceable. Jacobson didn’t have any firearms registered to him - Laura had checked - so he had probably bought one off the street, in case Theo’s trial didn’t go the way he wanted it to.

She carried the gun into her bedroom, where her gun safe was kept down by the side of her bed. Once she typed in the combination, the lock popped open. Laura placed the confiscated gun inside of the safe, followed by her own.

She felt practically naked without her holster and pistol. There were few occasions when the seasoned homicide detective would leave home without it, but Laura Hollis planned on drowning her sorrows in the company of some of her closest friends. Being drunk and in charge of a loaded gun was not a good idea; especially while she was still seething over Theo Straka walking.

She quickly changed out of her work clothes, the standard button-down shirt and slacks favored by most detectives, and threw on some yoga pants and her old Silas University sweater. Thankfully her friends Perry and LaFontaine had invited her over for a home cooked meal and a glass - or several - of wine, so she didn’t need to worry about hunting out anything fancier.

“Okay, Sirius, you be good and I’ll bring you home something nice to eat. Deal? No eating Mommy’s plants! Or my shoes!” Laura gave her dog a stern look, making him lay down and place his head on his paws. At five years old, Sirius was still like an overgrown puppy. He gave Laura a guilt-addled look as she headed for the door.

Laura had hardly been gone five minutes when her landline started to ring. Sirius began to whine as he heard his person’s voice on the answering machine. ‘Hey, this is Laura, I can’t come to the phone right now. You know what to do…’ There was a long beep, and then a pause.

“Laura, it’s Betty again. I called earlier. I don’t know if you got my message, but I really need you to call me back… I’m in some trouble, and I could use some help right about now.”  
  
  


“Go away…” Laura growled at the sound of her cell phone ringing at three in the morning. She’d only made it home a few hours ago, and she intended on making the most of the hours she had left to sleep until her shift started at nine.

Whoever was calling clearly had no intention of stopping anytime soon, though. Rolling onto her side, she pushed her hair out of her eyes as she blindly groped for her phone. “Detective Hollis.” She answered, mostly out of habit. The majority of calls that she received at this hour were for work. It usually meant someone was dead.

As she suspected, it was dispatch calling her about a body that had been found just a few blocks away from her apartment. “I’m not on call. Can’t night shift take it?”  
“The first officer on scene found a business card in the victim’s purse. It had your name on it. Officer Kirsch called it in and asked us to contact you.”

“My card?” Laura frowned as she finally sat up. “Who’s the victim?”

Ten minutes and a short car ride later, Laura found herself standing in an alleyway that stank of day old garbage and cat piss; at least she hoped it was from cats. A steady downpour of rain had washed away any forensic evidence that might have been left for the Crime Scene Unit to find.

JP Armitage, one of the techs that Laura knew quite well, was already there processing the scene. No one had touched the body yet. They’d need the medical examiner’s say so first. LaFontaine was probably still struggling to drag themselves out of bed. They’d matched Laura glass for glass at dinner, and then some.

“Hey, Laura.” Officer Kirsch made his way over to greet her. The twenty-two-year-old was fresh out of the academy, with less than a year of experience walking the beat. He looked a little green around the gills, which probably had something to do with stumbling over a dead body in the middle of an alley. Literally. His size tens had left bloody footprints all over the alleyway. JP had been busy reprimanding him when Laura had first pulled up in her car.

“Hey, Kirsch.” Laura managed a weak smile for the young beat cop. He was only a few years younger than she was, but maturity wise they were poles apart. He was a nice guy though, and Laura could think of worse officers to have to watch her back at an active crime scene.

Her eyes wandered past Kirsch, to where they’d placed a tarp over the body, both to preserve any evidence and to stop ghoulish reporters from taking candid shots of the murder. “Sorry for waking ya. I saw the card in her purse and figured-”

“You did good, Kirsch.” Laura patted his arm absently, already moving to brush past him and hunch down beside the victim. Her fingers were trembling as she lifted the tarp, willing the initial ID of the body to be wrong.

Bile rose up in the back of her throat as Laura took in the sight of her former college roommate. Hot tears welled up in her eyes. She forced them back. “It’s Betty… Uh, Elizabeth Spielsdorf. We were roommates all through college.”

“Oh… wow… Laura, I’m sorry. I thought she might be an informant or something, you know since she had your card on her.” Kirsch waffled on just behind her. Laura barely registered a word he was saying. The last time she had seen Betty had been two years ago when she’d first made detective.

They’d bumped into one another at the mall and had gone for coffee, talking about the good old days. The pair had swapped numbers and promised to keep in touch, but both had been too busy to really keep that promise. Other than a Christmas card here and a Facebook like there, they’d barely spoken since graduation.

“Do you want me to call dispatch and have them assign this to someone else?” Asked Kirsch, his big wide eyes like saucers as he looked at her with all the pity in the world. Laura tried not to bark as she replied, telling him in no uncertain terms that the case washers. She owed it to Betty to find out what had led to her dying alone in a dingy alley on the wrong side of town. LaFontaine arrived not long after that, lugging their kit in one hand as the other held a travel mug full of steaming hot coffee. They passed it to Laura as soon as they were within reach.

“Thanks.” The coffee was strong and bitter. Knowing LaF, it was probably some rare blend that would keep Laura wired for days. She left LaFontaine to do their job, sipping at her stolen coffee to focus on something other than her dead friend. The medical examiner pulled back the plastic tarp that was covering Betty’s body, revealing the extent of her injuries. The coffee Laura had just drank turned to tar in the pit of her stomach and threatened to make a reappearance as Betty’s cause of death became quite clear. Laura swallowed twice before she could find the words to ask.  
“Where’s her heart?”  
  


“I’ll call you the second we have anything, no matter how small… You too Mr. Spielsdorf.” Detective Hollis let out a heavy sigh the second she hung up from speaking to Betty’s father. All she seemed to be doing lately was making empty promises to grieving fathers.

The early morning rain had washed away much of the evidence in the alleyway that Betty’s body had been found in. JP had gone over the area with a fine tooth comb. There was no trace evidence left behind by Betty’s killer. No fingerprints. No footprints. Except for Kirsch’s boots of course.

They were already two hours into the investigation and they’d gotten nowhere. Any rookie detective knew that the first forty-eight hours were critical. If they didn’t find a lead to go on, then there was a good chance Betty’s murderer would slip away from them. Laura couldn’t let that happen. She put her heart and soul into every case, but this one was different. This was personal.

Laura combed her fingers through her hair, wishing she’d had the foresight to tie it back before she’d rushed out of the house. She’d moved like a shot when she’d heard her old room mate’s name from the dispatcher. There was every chance that she was wearing odd socks, and it was entirely possible her shirt was on inside out.

Luckily the homicide unit ran a skeleton staff during the night shift, so there were few other detectives around in the bullpen to see Laura in her disheveled state. It would be a good few hours before the day shift started.

Laura hoped to be hitting the streets by then. LaF was putting a rush on Betty’s autopsy and Kirsch was busy running down an address for her. She had thought about waiting before making the next of kin call, but there wasn’t really an appropriate hour to inform someone their daughter had been murdered. Mr. Spielsdorf had pressed her for details. He’d always been that way. When Laura and Betty had been looking to rent an apartment in their second year of college they’d taken Betty’s father with them. The property developer had known all the right questions to ask.

Laura had tried to skirt around most of his questions, sticking to giving him the bare minimum of details. The circumstances surrounding her death would be public knowledge soon enough, but Laura could at least spare her friend’s father from more pain for another day or two.

It was hard enough for him to hear that Betty was dead. He didn’t need to know that her heart had been cut out of her chest and that most of her blood was gone. LaF was already working on the theory that Betty’s heart had still been beating when it had been removed, hence the prolific blood loss. Even Laura didn’t want to dwell on those kinds of details, not yet at least.

The lack of blood at the crime scene, even with the heavy rain, could only be explained by the alley being a dump site.

They were still looking for the actual scene of the crime, which is why Laura was pouring over Google Street View, trying to identify any possible locations that she could ask the uniforms to check out for signs of a struggle. By six o’clock she felt like her eyes were going square from staring at the computer screen for so long.

“Laura?” She jumped at the sound of her name. Turning, she found her ex-partner, Detective Sergeant Danny Lawrence, standing behind her. The older woman was Laura’s ex in every sense of the word. They’d been partnered together back when Danny was a regular detective and Laura had just been promoted to homicide. Their shared passion for the law had been a solid foundation for a successful partnership.

It hadn’t taken long for the sparks to fly between the two, and their professional relationship had graduated to a physical one. That had been two years ago now. Laura had been the one to call things off between the two of them six months ago, not long after Danny passed her sergeants exam. Laura hadn’t been able to give her partner a good reason as to why she’d broken up with her, and neither of them had been able to carry on working together.

Danny had taken the first transfer she could get. She’d wound up on the night shift, so the two seldom crossed paths anymore. The other detective stood at just over six foot. She’d always dwarfed her former partner - who was barely five three - and it had been the cause of many a joke in the precinct at the time.

Danny’s fiery mane of hair was tied back in a functional braid. She was wearing a pants suit and, despite being near the end of a twelve-hour shift, looked immaculate. Laura self-consciously tucked her hair back behind her ears. She always felt so inadequate around Danny, like she just didn’t measure up somehow; and not just in the obvious way.

“Hey,” Laura replied. She could probably count the number of conversations they’d had in the past six months on one hand. Danny hadn’t taken the break-up well. Laura not being able to give her a quantifiable reason for it hadn’t helped much.

“Hey.” Danny shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, a sure sign that this was just as awkward for her as it was for Laura. “I heard about Betty. I’m sorry.” Danny hadn’t met Betty, but Laura had talked about her often enough for her to know how much she had meant to her.

“Thanks.” Said Laura, looking down at the ground. She’d been fighting the urge to cry ever since she’d rolled up at the crime scene and confirmed the body belonged to her former roommate. That urge was only growing stronger the longer Danny was looking at her like that; like she was something to be handled with kid gloves.  
“Kirsch told me about the cause of death. Could I… Could I show you something?” It was only as Danny moved to stand by Laura’s desk that she realized the other detective was carrying two manila files clenched in her hand.

She lay them out and flipped them open, giving Laura a clear view of two different crime scene photos. Laura had seen a lot in her five years on the force, but staring at the two images made her stomach churn. She was looking at two dead women. Both were lying on the ground, like discarded items of trash. Both were missing their hearts. Laura’s jaw tightened, her resolve to find Betty’s killer growing. Putting aside everything that had happened between her and Danny, she stared the other woman in the eye as she said, “Tell me everything you know.”

Danny made short work of summing up her two ongoing cases to bring Laura up to speed. “The victims were found within a month of each other. Both were young females, between the ages of twenty and thirty. They died sometime between ten and midnight, and both had their hearts removed. The medical examiner who works nights couldn’t identify any tool marks… He thinks the hearts might have just been ripped out.”

“That’s where the similarities end though. One victim is a brunette and the other has black hair. One’s Caucasian, the other’s Asian. They were from different socio-economic backgrounds and as far as I could make out, their paths never crossed.” Betty’s murder didn’t help make the puzzle any clearer. From what Laura knew about her former roommate, Betty was unlikely to have known either of Danny’s victims. Her father had said she’d practically lived at work. She was an ER doctor at the city’s only hospital and regularly worked an eighty hour week.

Laura skimmed through the files Danny had shared with her, looking for anything that might link the three women together. She was still pouring over the files when LaF called to say they’d concluded the autopsy on Elizabeth Spielsdorf. Laura didn’t need to invite Danny to tag along, she was right on her heels as she headed for the elevator.

The morgue was downstairs in the basement, along with the Chief Medical Examiner’s office. LaFontaine was waiting in there for the two detectives. The medical examiner looked tired and run down. The rain had flattened their hair to their head, turning it a darker orange color. There were bags under LaF’s eyes so large that they could have been used as carry-on luggage on an airplane. They looked a little startled to see Danny in tow but said nothing about it.

“Detectives.” Despite being close friends with both women, LaFontaine kept an air of professionalism whilst at work. “I’ve confirmed the cause of death as massive hemorrhaging. She was alive when her heart was taken.”

“How was it removed?” Asked Danny, leaving Laura to try and maintain her composure by staring up at the ceiling tiles. “Were there tool marks?”  
“No. There weren’t.” The doctor confirmed, eying the detective suspiciously. “How did you know that?” Grabbing a pen off of the desk, Danny quickly scribbled down the two case numbers from memory.

“Because I’ve got two women who are missing hearts, and Dr. Walcott couldn’t find any tool marks.”  
“Dr. Walcott couldn’t find his own ass with a map.” LaFontaine frowned, but still brought up the two autopsy reports on their computer. After a few minutes of silence, they nodded slowly. “No tool marks. This is the same guy.”  
  
“So we’ve got a serial killer on our hands,” Laura said out loud what they were all thinking. Silas was a small city, not much more than a township really. The thought of some lunatic running around pulling out women’s hearts made Laura shudder to her core. Most of the murders she worked on were drug-related, or domestic cases where there was a clear link between the victim and their killer. Serial murders just didn’t happen in a place like Silas.

“It doesn’t look like Walcott bothered to check the body with a UV light either.” LaFontaine clucked in disdain. They’d risen to the office of Chief Medical examiner - despite being one of the youngest doctors on staff - through their thoroughness and attention to detail. They had no time for people like Dr. Walcott, who did the bare minimum at best and then grumbled about being stuck on the night-shift.

“And you did?” Danny asked though she should have known better. The scathing look she received from the medical examiner was well deserved. With a few keystrokes, LaFontaine brought up a picture they had taken during Betty’s autopsy. It showed her bare wrist. Neither detective was sure what they were supposed to be looking at. Then the good doctor flicked to the next picture, showing the same scene but underneath an ultraviolet light.

A strange symbol was visible under the UV, it looked like some kind of stamp from a club. “What is it?” Laura tilted her head, trying to make sense of the intricate shape. There were two overlapping triangles, forming a six-pointed star, within a circle. “It’s a hexagram.” Said LaF, like it should have been obvious. “It’s a symbol linked to alchemy.”  
  
“And this helps us how?” It had been a long night, and Danny was tired and grouchy. The senior detective was in no mood to play guessing games.  
“This is a club stamp. It’s a little faded, but still visible, that means your victim visited this club within the last few days. Only one club has a UV stamper like this. The Alchemy club, over on 42nd street.”

“It’s worth checking out.” Laura agreed. There was nothing else linking the three young women who had been murdered. Maybe the club was how they met their killer. “Can you pull the other two bodies and check to see if they have stamps too?”  
“Consider it done!” Despite the early hour, LaFontaine was eager and raring to go. Laura had never known anyone be so enthused by death and dissection.

She and Danny left them to it, stepping back inside the elevator to return to the homicide unit on the fourth floor. The air away from the morgue was much fresher, and Laura gulped it down like breathing was going out of fashion. The unit was busier than they’d left it, with the day shift beginning to filter in and taking up many of the previously empty desks in the bullpen.

Laura’s shift hadn’t even officially started yet and she was already exhausted. Danny caught her trying to stifle a yawn, and made a suggestion, “If this Alchemy Club is really our link between the victims then there’s not much point in checking it out through the day. We should pay them a visit tonight, without announcing who we are and what we’re looking into.” Danny had a good point. Turning up at the nightclub in the middle of the day wouldn’t get them anywhere. If a killer really were stalking women who frequented the club then they’d get a better idea of what went on there if they paid a visit unannounced.

“You should go home and get some sleep. We’ll regroup tonight.” Danny suggested, her voice taking on the authoritative tone that she used with the uniforms. Laura didn’t bother arguing with her or protesting at being fussed over. The grieving detective wanted nothing more than to go home, climb into bed, and stay there. Laura had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach like this would be her last chance to get any kind of rest for a while. There was serial murderer loose in Silas, and every chance that they were already looking for their next victim.

  
The drive home took longer than Laura had expected. She’d left the precinct just in time to hit the morning rush hour. Living in downtown Silas had its perks - low rent on her spacious loft apartment included - but it was murder to get anywhere by car between the hours of eight and nine. Stuck in traffic, Laura found herself looking at old pictures on her phone. She and Betty had been part of the generation that grew up with smartphones, and Facebook and Instagram.  
  
Looking back on it now, it seemed like they had documented every part of their college lives and placed it all online for anyone to see. Laura’s father had refused to let her have an iPhone for just that reason. Betty had been the one to give Laura her first smartphone. She’d upgraded to a newer handset and had given Laura her old one. Laura had cherished it.

The light had changed while Laura was busy reminiscing on old times. A car horn blared behind her, jolting Laura back to the hear and now. Shifting back into gear, she pulled out at the light, taking the turn that would take her to the riverfront. Her apartment building had once been an old cotton mill. The place had been converted back in the early nineties. Laura had been lucky enough to bag the penthouse apartment.

The open plan loft still had much of the exposed brickwork of the original mill, along with two glass walls, which gave a panoramic view of the river and the city below. Laura pulled into her space in the windowless, underground, parking lot. The overhead fluorescent lights were bright enough to give her a headache. She trudged towards the lift, ready to fall asleep on her feet, and used her key fob to take it up to the top floor.

The security of the building was one of the reasons Laura had chosen it. The lift opened right into her living room and could only be called by the fob; or Laura approving it for guests. Pulling open the metal roll cage - the building developers kept the original service freight as a showpiece - Laura stepped out into her apartment. The door closed behind her as the lift was called back down to one of the other floors. Sirius was on her before Laura even had a chance to shrug off her overcoat. “Down boy…” Laura pushed him away, not in the mood to be slobbered on.

The German Shepherd was smart enough to know that his human was upset. He let out a low whine, his tail beating against the side of Laura’s leg as he followed her over to the couch. The tiny detective dropped onto the couch without even bothering to remove her gun belt. Sirius jumped up to join her, almost covering her entirely. The dog was a big, warm, lump of fur. Laura buried her face into his neck, rewarding his unwavering loyalty with a scratch behind the ear.

The blinking light on her answering machine finally caught her attention. Laura wriggled out from underneath the dog and managed to press play, before settling back down to listen to the messages. ‘Hey, Sweetie, it’s Dad. I heard about what happened in court. I hope you’re okay… Call me if you need anything.’  
‘Laura, hey… It’s Danny.” Laura sat up at the sound of Danny’s voice. She couldn’t remember the last time her ex-had called her, and it had obviously been before they’d agreed to work together on Betty’s case. ‘I uh, I heard about the Jacobson case… I’m sorry.’

Laura was still reeling from the second message when the next one began to play. ‘Hey Tiny. It’s Betty. So it’s been forever. Call me when you get this, we can go for coffee or something. Love ya, bye!’ Betty had sounded upbeat and confident in the first message, but her tone quickly changed in the second one.

‘Laura, it’s Betty again. I called earlier. I don’t know if you got my message, but I really need you to call me back. I’m in some trouble, and I could use some help right about now.’ The lump in the back of her throat swelled to the size of a golf ball as the third message started to play.  
‘Laura… I… I need your help. Please… Please pick up!’ The line suddenly went dead. There were no more messages after that.

Laura raced to the bathroom, barely able to make it to the toilet bowl before she started throwing up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she retched and retched. She stayed there for what felt like hours until there was nothing left inside for her to bring up. She felt completely spent as she leaned back against the bathtub. She couldn’t help but think what might have happened if she’d listened to those messages before leaving for dinner the previous night.

Laura couldn’t count the number of times she had told a friend or a family member of a victim that it wasn’t their fault, that there was nothing they could have done; yet there she was, questioning herself. Blaming herself. She could have done more. She could have called to give Betty her new cell phone number. She could have checked her messages.

She could have done a lot of things.

Once Laura finally found the strength to pick herself up off the floor she stumbled back into the living room. She pulled her phone out of the pocket of her overcoat, and scrolled through it, looking for Betty’s contact details. She had her college room mate’s current address. It wasn’t that far away; which only made Laura feel all the more guilty for not keeping in touch. Making up her mind there and then, she grabbed her keys and headed back down to the parking lot.

She hadn’t been there when Betty needed her most, but she would make damn sure her killer was brought to justice.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Laura didn’t bother to call Danny on her way over to Betty’s place. The other detective had been working all night, and Laura didn’t need a babysitter. She knew how to search a victim’s home for clues to whatever had led to their death. She decided to let Danny sleep, and fill her in on whatever there was to find at the house later on.

After a handful of phone calls, Laura was able to get in touch with the building manager of Betty’s building to let her inside. Her condo was on the third floor, and everything about it screamed Betty Spielsdorf. The furniture was sleek and modern, and not even a cup was out of place. It didn’t look like any kind of struggle had taken place there. Betty hadn’t been killed in her own home, so the actual crime scene was still undetermined.

Laura took a cursory walk around the condo, looking for anything untoward or out of place. There was nothing. Betty’s bed was neatly made. Her medicine cabinet contained nothing stronger than Tylenol. There wasn’t anything to suggest why Betty had been targeted by a serial murderer.

The last place Laura checked was Betty’s laptop. It was sitting on a desk in a corner of the living room. Betty’s whole life had been on her computer back in college. Laura was glad to see not much had changed; not even Betty’s password. Once the laptop loaded, Laura was able to search through Betty’s calendar and e-mails. There wasn’t much to see. Most of the days were filled with Betty’s work schedule, and when she wasn’t doing shifts in the ER she was volunteering at a free clinic downtown.

The only thing of note was an entry from a few months ago ‘AC with the girls’. Could ‘AC’ stand for the Alchemy Club? Had Betty frequented there often? Had she known her killer for months, unaware that her final days were numbered? There were a couple more entries marked simply as ‘Car’, including one for the night before, but Laura dismissed them.

Betty had been something of an eco-warrior and had probably carpooled with other doctors at the hospital. Laura made a note in her pad to follow it up, but it wasn’t exactly high on her list of priorities. She had more luck with Betty’s emails. While there was nothing of note in the inbox, an unsent item in the drafts caught Laura’s attention. It had been composed late last night, only an hour or so after Betty had last tried calling her.

There was no subject line and no message, just an attached file. Laura clicked to open it and watched as the media player popped up, filling the whole screen. After a few seconds of nothing but a black screen, Betty appeared. Laura couldn’t remember ever having seen Betty look so disheveled; not even after all-night parties at the Zeta frat house back in college.

Her long blond hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. It looked lank and limp like she hadn’t washed it for a couple of days. Her button-down shirt was wrinkled, and it looked like a couple of buttons were done up wrong. She wasn’t wearing any make-up, which was very unlike the young woman that Laura had known through college. Betty’s eyes were red and puffy like she’d been crying. Her voice cracked as she began to speak.

‘Hey, Tiny… I fucked up. I fucked up real good. I got in over my head and didn’t know where to turn. So, of course, I thought of you. You always seemed to be getting me out of trouble back in college. I don’t think I ever thanked you for all the stuff you did for me.”

“You know how I used to tease you about recording everything all the time? I’d say you’d make a vlog about the end of the world, just to record it for posterity, even if it wouldn’t change anything… Well, that’s kind of what I’m doing. I called you a few times, but I don’t think it would have made a difference if you’d answered. It’s too late now.’

Laura had to pause the video, and take a minute to wipe at her eyes. The image of Betty on the screen was blurred from all of the tears. Once she had her composure back, Laura pressed play again.

‘I made my bed, and now I’ve got to lie in it. I should never have gotten mixed up in that world. It was just so addictive… If something should happen to me… What am I saying? You’re watching this. So something bad has definitely happened… Start at The Alchemy Club. That’s where this all started. I…’ There was a knock at the front door, catching Betty’s attention. The sides of her mouth twitched into something close to a smile as she turned back to address the camera.

“Looks like the cavalry is here. Maybe I won’t have to send you this after all… Maybe it’s going to be okay.” That was where the video cut off. Betty’s cryptic message left Laura with more questions than answers. It sounded like she’d gotten caught up in something big. Pressing 2 on her speed dial, the phone barely rang twice before LaFontaine picked up.

“Dr. Death, at your service!” LaF greeted her with their usual good cheer. It was something normal in an otherwise crazy day, and it made Laura grateful for the sound of her friend’s voice.  
“Have you ran a tox-screen on Elizabeth Spielsdorf yet?” Laura forwent with the normal pleasantries. She had a hunch and she needed to run with it without getting sidetracked.

LaF let the detective’s rudeness slide. They knew Laura was going through a lot with her friend’s murder. It was a wonder that the homicide captain hadn’t tried to take her off the case already. It cut too close to the bone for Laura to stay impartial. “I did. Not that there was much blood left to analyze.” LaFontaine had never been one to tiptoe around an issue. When it came to their work they were brutally frank. “There was nothing. Zip. Nada.”

“No drugs whatsoever?” Laura frowned into her phone. She had been certain that Betty had somehow gotten mixed up with narcotics of some kind. It would explain her disheveled and rambling state on the video, as well as why she had tried to contact Laura for help.  
“No drugs, prescription or otherwise. There wasn’t even any alcohol in her system. Which suggests she wasn’t at that club last night, or if she was, she didn’t drink anything alcoholic.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Laura hung up, an edge of disappointment lacing her voice. The drugs angle would have given her a place to start. As it was, all she had was Betty’s visits to the Alchemy Club and the mysterious stranger that had knocked at her door. Had she opened it expecting to find help, and instead had come face to face with her killer?

Laura decided to call in the CSU, just in case they could lift any identifiable prints off the front door, or any of the surfaces inside of the apartment. The techs could also do a more thorough search of the place. Maybe they’d come up with something that could explain Betty’s frantic behavior on the video recording. She waited around at Betty’s apartment long enough to let the forensics guys inside. JP gave her an awkward hug and offered his condolences before Laura could slip away.

She thought about going back home, but Laura knew there was no way she would be able to shut off long enough to get any sleep. The weary detective drove back to the precinct instead. She’d barely sat down at her desk when the Captain of the Homicide Unit barked at her from his office door. “Hollis, inside.”

The Captain was a bear of a man in a pressed white shirt. He was in his late forties, bald on top and peppered gray in the sides. Laura remembered a time when his hair had been thick and curly and a rich chocolate color. That was back when her mother had been alive. Time had not been kind to Captain Sherman Hollis in the twenty years since his wife’s death.

The second the door was closed behind them,  Sherman scooped his daughter up in a crushing hug. His neatly trimmed beard tickled the side of her cheek as he held her close. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I know how much Betty meant to you.”  
“Thanks.” Laura pulled away and wiped at her eyes again. Her tear ducts seemed to be working of their own volition today. “Danny and I already have a lead. There have been two other similar murders and-”

“Sergeant Lawrence has made me well aware of all three cases. She’ll be taking over Betty’s case.” Laura’s father couldn’t look her in the eye as he took a seat back behind his desk. Laura couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“But, Dad!”   
“But nothing, Detective Hollis!” He replied, making it quite clear that he was speaking as her Captain, not as her father. “You know the protocol. You’re too close to this case to work it. Sergeant Lawrence is more than capable of… What are you doing?”

Laura didn’t wait to hear any more. Pulling her gun from her holster, she placed it down on the Captain’s desk, followed by her badge; which she usually wore on a chain around her neck when she was out in the field. “You might as well suspend me now because I’m not giving up this case.” Said Laura. Her expression was determined. She’d spent a lot of her childhood doing as her overprotective father told her, but she’d started to forge her own path after leaving for college; after meeting Betty.

Captain Hollis rubbed at his beard as they stared each other down. His daughter got her looks from her mother, and her stubborn streak from him. He knew she was being honest when she said she wouldn’t drop the case, whether he authorized her to continue or not.

Having his only child running around chasing a multiple murderer without the protection of the badge, and a loaded weapon didn’t appeal to him much. Reaching over, he pushed Laura’s badge and gun back towards her. “Danny’s lead investigator on this. You toe the line and you do what she says. She tells me you’re going off the reservation and I’ll yank you from this case so fast your feet won’t hit the ground. Understood?”   
“Yes, Sir.”   
  
  


 

“You asshole!” Laura pushed her way through Danny’s door the second the other detective opened it. She was still seething from her run-in with her dad.  
“Come on in,” Danny muttered under her breath as she closed the door behind the tiny ball of rage. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for whatever came next as she turned to face her ex. “What have I done now?”

“You went over my head to the Captain!” Laura glared at the older woman. “You tried to get me off the case! I know you hate me, and you probably don’t want to work with me, but Betty was my friend!”

“I don’t hate you.” Argued Danny. She shook her head, wishing she could be anyplace else, rather than having this conversation. “I’ve never hated you. For what it’s worth, I changed shifts for your benefit. You made it quite clear you didn’t want to be around me.”  
“I…” Laura faltered. She didn’t know what to say back to that. She and Danny had never really talked much after the breakup.

Danny had moved to nights within weeks of Laura calling time on their relationship. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that, but you know how much this case means to me!”  
“Yeah. I do.” Danny agreed. “That’s why when the Captain pulled me into his office I backed you up. I pointed out how much of an asset your personal knowledge of the victim made you, and asked him to let us work together on this.”

“Oh… Well, thanks.” Laura felt a flush of embarrassment turn her cheeks bright red. She had thought Danny had gone to her Dad, not the other way around. “Sorry.” She added sheepishly.

“Forget about it.” Danny shrugged it off. Walking past Laura, she went into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water and a can of grape soda. “You left a couple in the fridge. I don’t drink the stuff.” Danny answered Laura’s questioning look as she handed the soda over.  
“Thanks.” Laura managed a weak smile as she pulled the tab and took a sip of her favorite sugary drink. She sat down on the couch, taking her usual seat out of habit.

It was only as Danny sat beside her that Laura really took in what she was wearing. Her bed shorts made Danny’s long legs seem endless. Her hair was damp and hanging in loose curls like she’d jumped into the shower as soon as she’d gotten home and then gone to bed. Danny rubbed at the sleep in her eye, discreetly checking the time on her watch. She’d barely had an hour’s sleep. She wasn’t about to chase her ex-partner away though. “I thought you were going home to sleep.”

Laura’s cheeks were flushed again as her guilt played out on her face. “I went to Betty’s apartment.” She pulled up the video that she’d copied to her phone from Betty’s laptop. Danny watched it in total silence, taking in every word and sound like the seasoned detective she was.

“We need to find out who was at her door, and ask LaF to run a tox-screen to see if she had-”  
“JP is there now, dusting for prints. There weren’t any drugs in Betty’s system. I already checked in with LaF.” Laura interrupted. It had been so long since they’d worked together that she’d forgotten what it was like to be in perfect sync with her partner’s way of thinking.

“Okay.” Danny nodded. If she was upset about Laura leaving her out of the loop then she didn’t show it. “So we’re back to the Alchemy Club as our only lead.” Another glance at her watch told Danny that it was almost lunchtime.

“Have you eaten?” The question caught Laura off guard. She hadn’t eaten a thing since the night before when she’d gone over to LaF and Perry’s for dinner. Her stomach rumbled on queue, voicing its disapproval. “There’s some leftover pasta in the fridge. You can help yourself and crash on the couch for a few hours. You look like shit, and the Captain will have my ass if I let you drive home.”

For once, Laura didn’t argue. She went about reheating the pasta while Danny fetched a blanket from the linen closet. She had an oversized shirt in her hands too. It was one of her Silas PD shirts from her academy days. It was long enough to sit well past Laura’s thighs. She took it with a mumbled thanks, already feeling the urge to sleep taking over. Danny disappeared back into her bedroom, leaving the door ajar in case Laura needed anything.

Laura felt strange lying on the couch while Danny was in her room. She’d practically lived in the apartment during the two years they’d been together. Danny had actually asked her to move in, not long before Laura had called things off. She’d wanted to end things before they got too serious, even if she couldn’t really say why. It just hadn’t felt right. Laura couldn’t put it into words to explain it to herself, never mind to Danny.

Hours later, Laura woke with a start to the sound of her phone going off. “Hollis,” Laura answered her phone with a grunt. It was dark outside. She’d slept the afternoon away in the same spot on the couch, and her back had paid the price for it.  
“Detective Hollis, it’s JP. I’m awfully sorry to disturb you, but I thought you’d want to know that we’ve finished up at Miss Spielsdorf’s home.”

“And?” Laura pushed, hoping for some good news. JP’s momentary silence as good as told her none was coming.   
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but there were no viable prints on the door. We found a few smudges and a partial. I’m comparing them to Miss-” Laura hung up while he was still rambling. It wasn’t something she’d usually do, especially to someone as sweet as JP, but she wasn’t exactly having a normal day.

“Who was that?” Danny asked as she walked into the living room, dressed for a night of undercover work. She was wearing a red dress that ended just above her knees, and heels that added a good three inches to her height. She’d curled her hair and put on some make-up. For a second, Laura forgot where she was. She forgot about the last six months, and about Betty and everything else that had gone wrong. She stared openly up at Danny, her eyes taking in the sight of the redhead.

“Laura? The phone?” Danny probed, trying to get the younger woman on track; She just about managed to hide the smirk that threatened to spill out onto her lips at the way Laura had looked at her.  
“Oh… Right. Yeah, that was JP. He recovered a few smudges and partials at Betty’s place. He’s going to run them, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.” Laura sighed. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back off her face. She’d need a shower and a change of clothes, at the very least, before they could head to the Alchemy Club.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny paced restlessly around Laura’s loft, waiting for the other woman to finish getting ready. Sirius was walking along beside her, his head held high and his tail wagging. It could have been any Friday night back when they were together. Laura had always taken an age to get ready. When Laura’s phone began ringing, Danny picked it up without a second thought. “Hello?”   
“Danny?” Perry sounded flustered on the other end of the phone. “Sorry, I thought I’d called Laura…”   
“You did. I’m at Laura’s. She’s just in the shower. Do you want me to ask her to call you back when she’s done?”

“You’re at Laura’s?” Danny cringed at the hopeful lilt in Perry’s voice.  
“We’re working a case together. That’s all. A friend of Laura’s was murdered last night.”   
“LaFontaine said. That’s why I called. How’s she doing? Has she eaten?”

“She’s… holding up.” Danny answered, keeping her tone quiet so that Laura couldn’t overhear her. “I’m not sure how much longer she’ll be able to keep it up, but she’s doing okay. I got her to eat some lunch earlier.” Perry suggested trying to get her over there to spend the night - something about Monopoly and cake - but Danny shot her down, explaining their plans to visit the Alchemy Club.

“Should Laura really be anywhere near this case?” Perry argued, unhappy about Laura throwing herself in the line of fire; as usual. There was also the unspoken suggestion that Danny should stop her.  
“I think working the case is Laura’s way of dealing with it. Take that away from her and I don’t know how she’ll act.” Danny admitted with a weary sigh. She heard Laura’s bedroom door clicking open and quickly made an excuse to hang up on Perry. Laura wouldn’t take it very well if she knew her friends were talking about her, even if it was only out of concern.

“Hey.” Laura stepped into the living room, wearing a form-fitting, black satin, skater dress. The short pleated skirt and plunging neckline had Danny’s pulse skyrocketing.  
“Hey… Is that dress new?”   
“What? Oh, yeah. I bought it for some charity dinner Dad dragged me along to last month.” Laura ducked her head, nervously tucking her hair back behind her ear.

“It looks good on you.” Danny complimented, feeling like she was back in high school and going out on her first date. Clearing her throat, she pushed Sirius’s head out of her lap and stood up to straighten her own dress. “We should get going. Kirsch will be here soon.”

The plan for the night was to go in as a group of three. Danny and Kirsch would pretend to be a couple, leaving Laura as a third wheel, and tempting bait for a potential killer. Danny had been against using Laura as bait, but her own height would make her too difficult a target. Undercover work was where Laura’s tiny stature and wholesome, naive, girl next door good looks came in useful.

Nobody would guess that she was a cop, or that she could drop a guy three times her size if need be.

Kirsch pulled up outside Laura’s building not long later. His ‘63 Chevy Impala would have been an impressive looking car, had it not been a putrid gold color. Kirsch himself was wearing a bright yellow polo shirt, with the collar popped, and a pair of washed out skinny jeans. He looked more like a frat boy than a police officer. Unlike Danny, who looked like a cop regardless of what she was wearing. “Ladies! Your chariot awaits!” Stepping out of the car, he walked around to open the passenger door for Danny with a grand, sweeping gesture.

Danny glared at him as she climbed into the back instead. Kirsch looked crestfallen for a moment but quickly perked up when Laura got in the front. “Okay, so my man got us put on the guest list for tonight.” Kirsch began rambling the second he started the car. Laura thought of him as a sweet guy, but he a had a tendency to talk far too much.  
  
“You used our names?” Danny snapped from the back. “Kirsch, are you kidding me?”   
“Relax D-Dog, I used aliases. I’m not stupid.”   
“Oh. That’s good.” Danny almost sounded impressed with him.  
  
The inside of the Alchemy Club had a Gothic feel to it that lived up to its name. It had once been an old cathedral and many of the original features were still present, from the towering spires outside, to the stained glass windows inside. The pews had been torn out and replaced by a large open dance floor, with tables and chairs dotted around to one side. A bar had replaced the altar at the front, with a DJ booth set up on one of the balconies above. A set of stone steps lead to the upper floor, where it looked like private booths lined the walls, overlooking the dance floor below.

As one of the most popular places in the city, the club was packed. Laura clung to Kirsch’s arm as he led them deeper into the bowels of the club, fighting his way over to the bar. Danny’s hand was at the small of her back the entire time; a throwback to the days when they had gone to places like the Alchemy Club as a couple.

Looking around and taking it all in, Laura couldn’t help but think back to all the nights out Betty had dragged her on during their college days. She had been the popular one, the belle of the ball that everybody had loved. She’d pulled Laura out into that spotlight with her and shown the bookish girl a world she probably would never have experienced otherwise. Betty would have been in her element at a place like the Alchemy Club. After battling their way to the bar and getting some drinks - strictly non-alcoholic ones - they bagged a table up on the balcony, giving them a perfect aerial view of the club and its revelers.

After two hours - and enough virgin daiquiris to make Laura need to pee every five minutes - they’d spotted two potential sexual predators, and a man who’s dancing should have been considered criminal. One thing that Laura couldn’t spot, however, was any dealers. Every club had them, regardless of zero tolerance policies and the effectiveness of security staff. If drugs were being dealt in the Alchemy Club, then the trade was well hidden.

“What’s through there?” Laura shouted over the noise that passed for music in the club. Kirsch followed her gaze and saw where she was looking. A solitary member of the security team was standing in front of an elaborate wooden door, right at the top of the stairs that led down to the dance floor. The man was as wide as he was tall, with a closely shaved head and cold, dead, eyes. She’d seen a number of people passing through the door, mostly attractive young women. Kirsch’s answer explained why.   
  
“That’s the VIP area. I come here all the time, and even my man Will can’t get me in there!"  
“I’m going to check it out.” Laura was undeterred. Picking up her drink, she promised to check in regularly with Danny and headed for the VIP section. If rooming with Betty for three years had taught her anything, it was how to open up doors.

“Hi, there!” She greeted the doorman with a bubbly smile, swaying just slightly to give the impression that she’d had one too many. “I think my friend Amber might have gone through here. Can I just go check?” Laura reached for the door handle, hoping to slip through without any questions. The man’s big, beefy, hand reached the handle before Laura’s could. Keeping the door pinned shut. “Members only.” His voice was low and gruff but carried over the heavy base of the music coming from below.

“And how exactly do I go about becoming a member?” Laura quizzed, hoping to charm her way inside.  
“Invite only.” The human wall grunted at her again, his eyes never ceasing to scan the area around them. They widened as another woman approached. Suddenly, it was like Laura wasn’t even there anymore. The gorilla straightened up, offering the woman a toothless smile as he reached to open the door for her. “Ms. Karnstein.” She paid the man no attention, turning her interest on Laura instead. Her brown eyes were so dark that they looked almost black in the dim light of the club.

She was young - Laura would guess somewhere around her early to mid-twenties - and there was no doubt she was attractive, but the doorman was treating her like she was royalty. “Who’s this?” The mystery woman asked the guy minding the door, but her eyes were still on Laura, drinking her in.   
“She’s nobody, Ms. Karnstein. Just trying to get into the VIP area.” He grunted, dismissing Laura altogether.

“Is that right, Cutie?” A suggestive smirk spread over the other woman’s blood red lips. Laura felt naked under her piercing gaze. She almost moved to cover herself. “And why do you want to go through that door so badly?” Everything about the woman was flirtatious as she leaned in close to catch Laura’s answer. Her body was lithe and toned, seeming to posses a fluid gracefulness that Laura found herself envious of.   
  
The detective had two left feet at the best of times, and she’d always been something of a klutz. “Maybe I’m just curious?” Laura tried to copy the woman’s suggestive tone, spotting her chance at getting inside the exclusive VIP area for a closer look. It worked.

The woman let out a soft chuckle, her warm breath tickling against the side of Laura’s cheek. “Hmm. You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.”   
“You forgot the last part.” Laura pointed out, moving in close to whisper, “…But satisfaction brought it back.  
“Good answer, Cupcake. I’m Carmilla.” The woman finally offered up her name. “And you are?”   
“Laura.” She answered without hesitation, though she kept her last name to herself.

Carmilla offered out her arm, turning to give the doorman a dismissive look as she led Laura through the open door. “You, add Cutie here to the guest list.”  
“Yes, Ms. Karnstein.” The man must have been four times her size, but he seemed to cower under Carmilla Karnstein’s withering gaze. She was obviously someone important. Walking into the VIP area was like stepping back in time. Instead of the ear-splitting dance music that was playing downstairs, soft jazz filled the air.

The lights were low, with a candle in a hurricane jar sitting on every table. The tables themselves were draped with blood red tablecloths, and the seats of the booths were upholstered with plush black leather. A solid oak bar spanned the length of the wall opposite the seating area, leading to a small stage at the front; where a man was seated at a piano, playing the haunting music that Laura could hear. The area seemed like it was from another era altogether, and Carmilla seemed perfectly at ease in this new world. An odd thought struck Laura as they took a secluded booth in the corner.

The dark and beautiful decor seemed to match Carmilla. It should have been the other way around, but the idea stuck with her like the club was Carmilla’s private play park. She was wearing leather pants, with a black satin corset that laced up at the front. There was an intricate lace pattern overlay on the satin. Laura was almost tempted to reach out and run her fingers along the design. She caught herself before she could do anything quite so foolish. The other woman’s strange pull on her had Laura acting like a teenager. “This is nice.” Laura commented, regretting it almost as soon as the words left her mouth.

She had never been the smoothest around beautiful, intimidating, women, but she had never been this awkward either. Carmilla seemed amused by it all as she took Laura’s drink out of her hands and sipped at it. She made a face at the sickly sweet - alcohol-free - drink. “That is disgusting, Creampuff. Let me get you a real drink.” Carmilla slipped out of the booth and headed for the bar, ignoring Laura’s protests. The detective chased after her but stopped as Carmilla hopped right over the bar. The barman, a young man with slicked-back hair and a white tux, barely glanced at her.

“What ’ll it be, Cutie?” Carmilla shot her a seductive smile as she picked up a bottle of vodka and started spinning it around with one hand, showing off for Laura’s benefit. Laura leaned down on the bar top. Looking for a lead came second place to watching Carmilla. She felt her phone vibrating in her purse - probably a text from Danny, wanting her to check in - but she ignored it in favor of focusing on the enigmatic stranger.

She refused to tell Laura what she was making. She seemed to be picking up practically every bottle from behind the bar. “Wrap your lips around that, Cupcake.” Carmilla placed a tall glass in front of her. It was bright green and didn’t look very appealing, but Carmilla coaxed her into taking a sip. Laura was pleasantly surprised. Despite all of the alcohol that had gone into it, it was actually sweet on her tongue. It tasted like candy.  
  
“What is it?” Laura questioned, before taking another long drink. Carmilla seemed pleased that her hard work had paid off. She hopped back over the bar to rejoin Laura, her hand finding the small of her back.  
“Trade secret.” She teased, enjoying the way Laura’s face scrunched up at her refusal to answer.  
“Okay, so do you actually work here, or do you always just serve yourself?” The cop in Laura was focusing on the fact that Carmilla hadn’t actually paid for the drink she’d just made her.

Carmilla answered with a throaty chuckle, the sound of it doing things to Laura that she didn’t want to think about. She was supposed to be working the case, not flirting with strangers. “My sister and I own this place. I work here sometimes.” Carmilla shrugged, offering up only the barest of information on herself. “How about you? What do you do for a living, Creampuff?” Carmilla had a way of sounding aloof and interested at the same time.

With one hand still on her back, the other kept finding Laura’s arm. Despite having only just met her, Carmilla didn’t seem to have any qualms about invading her personal space; Laura was surprisingly unconcerned by it. She scrambled for an answer to Carmilla’s innocuous question. The other woman was just making small talk, but Laura could hardly tell her she was a homicide detective, investigating a murder that might be connected to the club that Carmilla’s sister owned.

“I’m a school teacher.” Laura wasn’t the greatest liar in the world, but Carmilla seemed to buy it. Few people would look at Laura, all five foot three of her, and think cop. Inside of her purse, her phone went off again. Laura finally pulled it out and found three texts and a missed call from Danny. The senior detective was probably thirty seconds away from taking out the doorman and storming on into the VIP section after her.

She sent her a quick reply, hoping to hold Danny off for a while longer. “Better offer?” Carmilla mused, though there was an edge to her voice. For a seasoned cop, that should have instantly set off warning bells.   
“Oh, no.” Laura dismissed the text with a shake of her head, her hair falling back in her eyes. She brushed it back with a coy smile. “I’m actually waiting on a call from my friend. She was supposed to meet me here tonight. She’s been raving about this place for weeks.”

Laura decided to ease Betty into the conversation. If Carmilla was such a regular at the Alchemy Club, then maybe she’d known Betty.  
“Oh? Who’s your friend?” Carmilla’s fingers were running lightly over the back of Laura’s hand. It was obviously meant to distract her from meeting anyone. Under normal circumstances, it might have worked, but Laura wasn’t easily distracted from a task when her mind was set on getting answers.

“Betty. Maybe you know her? She’s my age. Blond. Pretty. Flirty… I think she was here last night?” They’d done their best to keep Betty’s death out of the papers, but the story would no doubt leak by the morning.  
“Is that right?” Carmilla’s voice took on a colder tone and she pulled her hand away from Laura’s back like she knew that something had happened to Betty. Laura was instantly on the defensive after that. Carmilla’s demeanor had changed too much for her liking. She knew something. She had to.

“Yeah, it is. Her name’s Betty Spielsdorf, do you know her, Car-” The words faltered in Laura’s throat as a connection clicked into place inside of her mind. The notes on Betty’s calendar, particularly the one from the night before: Car.

Betty had been meeting Carmilla. The thought had barely formed in her mind when there was an eruption of noise from behind where the two women were standing. A group of young men were getting rowdy a few booths down. Then, out of nowhere, came a shout. “Detective Hollis!” Laura cringed internally, though she was the picture of calmness on the outside. She ignored the calls, even as Theo Straka walked right up beside her.   
  
The frat boy was dressed in a polo shirt, with his hair gelled back, making him look scarily like Kirsch. He wore a wolfish grin as he slid up beside her at the bar, leaning on one elbow. His eyes raked over Laura’s form in a way that made her feel like a prime steak. Had she had her gun on her, she probably would have shot him on sight. “Detective Hollis, who knew underneath all those cheap suits you would be a little hottie?” Laura clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to bite.

It was childish to think that Theo would go away if she ignored him, but it was all Laura had. Beside her, Carmilla was silent, observing the whole exchange with a sense of detachment.  
“What? Nothing to say this time, huh?” Theo growled in her face. The alcohol lacing his breath was pungent, and it was filling him with a false sense of confidence. His erection was pressing up against Laura’s side, and it was making her feel sick. She couldn’t keep up the harmless school teacher act any longer as Theo’s hand went to her backside.

Impulse control wasn’t one of Laura’s strong points. She grabbed Theo’s wrist, bending his arm up and twisting it behind his back hard enough to slam him face down on the bar. “Ahh! Argghh! Police brutality! Police brutality!” Theo started screaming, attracting the attention of his friends, as well as the rest of the people in the bar. By the time the security staff made their way towards her, Laura had already pulled her badge out of her purse. “SPD!” She shouted at them, holding Theo with one hand, and shoving the badge in their faces with the other.

They ignored Laura and looked to Carmilla instead. With only the slightest nod from her, the men took hold of Theo and started dragging him towards the fire exit at the back, so as not to disturb too many of their customers as they kicked him out. A third man walked over to Theo’s group of friends, politely suggesting they go elsewhere. Laura watched them go, only turning to face Carmilla again once they were gone. She looked impassive, but there was an almost electric atmosphere between them as she stared Laura down.   
  
“So, Detective Hollis, do you teach part-time, or…?” Her sarcasm was potent, and her question rhetorical.

Laura stood her ground. That at least seemed to impress her. She had to think quick to try and salvage her investigation. “That man is a murderer!” Laura hissed, trying to keep her voice down low to avoid causing another scene. People were still sneaking glances her way. “I followed him here tonight to make sure he didn’t get the chance to hurt anyone else.”  
“Except a jury of his peers wouldn’t agree with you. And he was released yesterday. Care to try again, Detective?” Carmilla asked smugly.

Laura had no option but to go with the truth. She had nothing else left. “Actually, I’ve got a question for you, Ms. Karnstein. Why did a murder victim have your name written on her calendar for a scheduled meeting last night?”  
“If you’re talking about your friend Betty, well, I’d hardly call casual sex a ‘scheduled meeting’,” Carmilla answered dryly. "Now, unless you plan on pulling out some handcuffs - which, hey, could be fun - make an appointment to speak to me through my attorney.”

“Why bring lawyers into this? We could clear this all up right now. Tell me about your relationship with Betty.” Laura tried to keep the dialogue going. Plenty of suspects had hung themselves over the years by not knowing when to keep quiet and call a lawyer. Unfortunately, Carmilla wasn’t the average suspect that Laura was used to encountering.

“I’ve told you all about our ‘relationship’. We had sex. A few times. It wasn’t much to write home about.” Carmilla shrugged indifferently. Laura let out an indignant huff as she shook her head.  
“Betty always did have a way of attracting losers.” With that, Laura turned to leave. Carmilla reached out, grabbing hold of her wrist in a grip that would probably leave a bruise. Carmilla’s devil may care attitude had completely vanished. There was something in her black, shark-like, eyes that chilled Laura right to the bone.

She’d faced down plenty of murderers and psychopaths, and none of them had ever scared her so much. The look in Carmilla’s eyes was indescribable. It was old and powerful; and it was pure hatred. "You should be careful about sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, Detective. Remember what I said about the cat.”   
  
The second the detective left the VIP room, Carmilla slunk off into the office, which was situated through a door behind the bar. She went straight over to the bank of monitors covering the far wall, showing every inch of the club covered by the security cameras. It didn’t take long to spot the tiny detective.

Carmilla had been thrown when she’d found out Laura was a cop. She was usually good at reading people, but nothing about the other girl had screamed law enforcement. Unlike the couple, Laura had gone back to join. The tall redhead was obviously another detective. Even over the camera, her cocksure attitude came across loud and clear. Laura’s partner, Bigfoot as Carmilla decided to call her, had the presence of someone in a position of authority and power. By contrast, the young man beside her looked like a puppy dog, following in Bigfoot’s lead.

Carmilla carried on glaring at the screen as she walked back towards the desk that dominated the office. She picked up the phone, dialing a familiar number. It rang and rang, eventually going through to voice-mail. “William, brother dearest, call me back when you get this. I’d like to know why your friend, Officer Popped-Collar, has brought two homicide detectives to the club with him tonight. Reign your mutt in, or I’ll do it for you!” Carmilla growled into the phone, before hanging up.

She was pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, while still watching Detective Hollis on the cameras when her older sister waltzed into the office. She looked about as happy as Carmilla felt.  
“Why are there detectives in my club?” Matska Belmonde demanded answers as she rounded on Carmilla. The older woman was immaculately dressed, as usual, with not a single strand of raven colored hair out of place. She was wearing a two-tone black and white dress, which emphasized her rich, dark, skin. “And why were they talking to you?”

“They found Betty.” Carmilla answered plainly, her tone full of unspoken accusation. “Next time Mother wants me to lure someone, make sure they’re not friends with homicide detectives.”  
“I’ll let you pass that on to Maman yourself,” Mattie said, dismissing Carmilla’s sulking. She turned her attention to the security monitors, and the three police officers who were making their way out of the club. Carmilla didn’t like the cold, hard, look in her eye as she watched Detective Hollis in particular.   
  
“You’d think after three centuries of playing Mother’s game she’d actually let us in on the rules.” Carmilla huffed. Unlike their brother Will, who blindly followed Mother’s every whim, Carmilla was more inclined to question why Mother had them lure in five young women every twenty years like clockwork. It was a feat made all the more easy since they’d opened the Alchemy Club. Gone were the days of going out in search of their prey. The foolish mortals lined themselves up at the door every night, and paid for the privilege.

Mattie, like Carmilla, wasn’t one for blind faith, though she was old enough to know better than to question their creator. She let out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes at her younger sister. Carmilla’s spirited will had gotten her in to trouble more than once over the years. “It’s not our place to question. You just concentrate on being a good little monster and bringing Mother the girls she wants. What happens after that isn’t any of our concern.”

“I said we should have chosen someone else.” Carmilla ignored her sister’s warnings. She’d never been very good at taking a telling.  
“You always say that.” Mattie let out a mirthless chuckle as she reached up to brush Carmilla’s hair back behind her ear. “You always find a reason to spare them. If it were left up to you, my darling sister, we’d never manage a single sacrifice.” 

 


	4. Chapter 4

“D-Dog, pass me the maple syrup.”  
“Jesus, Kirsch! How many times? Stop calling me that!”  
“Per, sweetie, can I have some more pancakes?”

Laura watched the others with a strange sense of detachment. For all she was sitting at the breakfast table with them, she felt like she might as well have been a million miles away. Her thoughts were elsewhere. While Danny, Kirsch, and LaF tucked into the feast that Perry had prepared them for breakfast, Laura didn’t have the stomach to eat anything. Everything tasted like ash.

They’d called it a night after their cover had been blown at the Alchemy Club. They’d all met up again at LaF and Perry’s in the morning. Talk of work was off the table, as usual. Perry had a strict rule about acceptable dinner table conversation; marrying a medical examiner and being friends with so many cops had a way of requiring such rules.

Laura couldn’t count the number of times they’d all discussed their cases after dinner; she, Danny and LaFontaine had sat around for hours, drinking expensive whiskey and trying to one-up each other when it came to who had the strangest, grisliest, stories. LaFontaine had usually won that game hands down. Laura had never really been that bothered about winning. She’d always been too busy cuddling up into Danny’s side, enjoying the way the older woman’s arm wrapped protectively around her waist, keeping her close while Danny’s fingers danced lightly under her shirt.

“Laura?” You okay?” The younger detective was startled from her thoughts as Danny’s hand landed on her arm, bringing her abruptly back to the here and now. “You’ve barely eaten a thing. You should-”  
“Don’t.” Laura pulled away from her ex with a shake of her head. Picking up her coffee cup, she finished what was left with one swift gulp. “I’ve got things to do. Thanks for breakfast, Per. I’ll catch you guys later.” Ignoring Danny’s protests, Laura left without another word. She climbed into her car and just sat there a while, trying to figure out her next move.

Snatching up her car radio, she asked dispatch to call up an address on one Carmilla Karnstein. The name was fairly unusual. There couldn’t be that many Carmillas in Silas. The dispatcher asked her to wait, then there was a crackle of static before they got back to her with an address that was uptown. Laura felt marginally guilty about going off to talk to their suspect without Danny, but not enough to stop her. Something about Carmilla had stuck with the detective. She didn’t know what it was, but Laura just couldn’t shake the other girl from her thoughts. She had something to do with Betty’s murder. Laura was sure of it.  
  
Carmilla’s house turned out to be more like a mansion. It was in one of the older neighborhoods. Where many of the first settlers of Silas had built themselves grand and elaborate homes, overlooking what would eventually become a thriving metropolis. Laura’s beat up old Mustang stood out like a sore thumb among the pristine Priuses and immaculate SUVs that graced the driveways. The front lawns were all neatly trimmed and perfectly maintained. The place just screamed money.

Laura pulled up outside the last house on the block. The lawn was overgrowing, the paintwork was chipping, and there was a beefy Harley sitting on the drive. Next to that was a rusted Ford. Laura didn’t need to check the number to know she had the right house. Taking a hair tie out of the glove box, Laura hastily tied her hair back. She pulled on the chain that had her badge attached to it, then grabbed her sunglasses. Her service revolver was already strapped to her side, concealed under her blazer.

The neighbor's curtains were twitching as she walked up to the Karnstein house. This neighborhood probably didn’t get that many visits from cops. Laura pounded on the door, making sure she would be heard. “SPD! Open up!” It took another two knocks before anyone came. Laura watched as a shadowy figure appeared behind the frosted glass of the front door. A blond woman answered, pulling open the door and squinting in the early morning light. “Uh, I’m looking for Carmilla Karnstein. Does she live here?”

For a moment, Laura thought she had the wrong house, but then the blond woman shouted over her shoulder, “Karnstein, you got a visitor!” With that, the other woman slipped silently past Laura, heading for the old Ford sitting on the drive. Laura waited patiently by the door, calling out again when no one came down to greet her. “Miss Karnstein? It’s Detective Hollis with the SPD.” She cautiously approached the stairs that the blond had come down, distrusting the heavy silence that had settled over the house.

“Heard you the first time, Cutie.” A gruff voice sounded behind her, making Laura spin around so fast that she had to grab onto the banister to keep herself standing. Her free hand had gone to the butt of her gun, acting on instinct. Carmilla Karnstein stood before the detective, wearing only a red satin bathrobe over a thin camisole and a black, lace thong. She looked proud of making the detective jump, and then amused by her discomfort as Laura tried to look anywhere but at the other woman’s creamy flesh.

She cleared her throat, trying to regain control of the situation as she stared up at the ceiling. “Ms Karnstein, I have a few questions for you. I can wait, if you’d like to get dressed?”  
“I wouldn’t,” Carmilla answered in a very matter of fact kind of tone. She made no attempt to tie her robe either. She pushed her unkempt mane of dark curls back from her face in frustration. “I thought I’d made myself quite clear last night, Detective. If you’d like to speak to me then you can do it through my attorney.”

“That’s actually why I’m here.” Laura did her best to meet the other woman’s eyes, resisting the urge to let her own gaze drop down below her neckline. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I was out of line.”  
“Really?” Carmilla quirked a single eyebrow at the detective. Putting Laura out of her misery, she pulled her robe over, then wrapped her arms around her chest as she waited for more.  
  
“Betty was a friend of mine. I was called out to the scene when they found her…” Laura cleared her throat, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to well up. She didn’t have to fake those. “I didn’t really give myself time to grieve - I guess I still haven’t - and I was upset. How I acted with you last night, that’s not me. So, again, I apologize.”

The tiny detective really had come with her tail tucked between her legs. Carmilla could appreciate that. “Apology accepted. For what it’s worth, I should be apologizing for my own behavior. I didn’t know Betty very well, but it was still a shock to find out she’d been murdered, and to be questioned by the police over it…” Carmilla trailed off, trying to come across as sincere as she could. The detective bought it, hook line and sinker. Carmilla could see it in her eyes, the way they softened, and the way Laura took a hesitant step forward like she wanted to comfort the apparently ‘grieving’ woman.   
  
“How long have you known Betty, if you don’t mind me asking?” Carmilla bit back a grin as she realized the game Detective Hollis was playing. She wasn’t sorry in the slightest, she was just trying to win Carmilla’s trust, to get her to start talking. Well, two could play it that way.  
“No, I don’t mind at all. Forget what I said about my attorney, you can ask me anything, Detective. Would you like to sit down?” Carmilla indicated the living room behind her.

The sudden change in her demeanor caught Laura off guard. She actually started to think she might have gotten the other girl wrong. “…Sure.” Laura followed her into the other room, taking a seat on one side of the couch, while Carmilla took the other.

“To answer your question, I met Betty at the club. That was maybe three months ago? She was out with some friends from work. One thing led to another and we… scheduled a few appointments.” Carmilla’s lips curled up into a teasing smile as Laura started to blush.  
“You’re not going to let me forget about that, are you?” Laura managed a soft laugh. She had no idea where it came from. She’d been ready to rip her suspect a new one on the way over there, but now she was sitting laughing at her lame jokes.   
  
Laughing, while Betty was…

“Would you say she’d been acting strangely lately? Had she talked about anyone taking an unusual interest in her? Anyone following her home? That kind of thing.” Laura tried to get her questioning back on track. She was there to interrogate Carmilla, not flirt with her.  
“I honestly couldn’t say. I really didn’t know her that well.” Carmilla shook her head, looking solemn. “We didn’t talk that much. It was mostly about sex. She’d come over, or I’d go to her place… You’ll probably need my fingerprints, right?”

“Uh, yeah. That would be helpful. Thank you, Ms. Karnstein.” Laura had pulled out her notepad and started taking notes, using it as an excuse not to have to look Carmilla’s way. She was startled when the other woman reached over and placed a hand on her own.  
“Please, call me Carmilla.” Laura swallowed hard, trying to stop her hand from shaking. She didn’t know exactly what it was that Carmilla Karnstein did to her, but she suddenly seemed incapable of thinking straight; no pun intended.

“Uh, yes… Miss Karnstein.” Laura felt flustered. “Could I ask what you were doing the night of the thirtieth?”   
“Of course. I was at dinner with my family. Afterward, my sister Mattie went to work. My brother and I joined her at the club for a few hours, then came back here. My brother William stayed the night. I can give you his address if you’d like to contact him? Though it would probably be easier to just check in with him at the station.” Carmilla battered her eyelashes innocently as she dropped a bombshell on the detective.

“Station?” Laura frowned, finally looking up from the notes she was making. Carmilla seemed to take great delight in making her squirm just a little longer.   
“Yes. The police station. His name is William Luce. Officer Luce. Maybe you know him? If not, then you certainly know my mother; Lilita Morgan.” Laura felt her heart sinking.   
“The Mayor?”

“Relax.” Carmilla let out a throaty laugh as she draped her arm over the back of the couch. “I’m not some spoiled little rich girl who goes running to mommy at the drop of a hat. You had every reason to consider me a suspect. I suppose you still do.”

Laura shook her head. “A friend of mine is partners with your brother. Will’s a good cop. He wouldn’t cover for a murderer, even if they were family. I’ll speak to him, but at this point, it’s little more than a formality. I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time, Miss Karnstein.” Laura stood up, finding herself right back at square one. Maybe there was no link between Betty’s death and the Alchemy Club after all. Maybe Laura had only seen a connection because she had wanted to.

“It’s no trouble at all.” Carmilla rose with her, her bathrobe slipping off her shoulder just slightly. “If there’s anything else, you know where to find me.” Carmilla offered out her hand, and Laura took it. She expected for them just to shake, but Carmilla surprised her by bringing the back of Laura’s hand up to her lips. The detective’s heart was hammering against her chest, and Carmilla could hear each and every frantic beat of it.

There was an attractive flush to her cheeks as her blood rushed to her face, filling the wide blood vessels and many capillary loops that lay so close to the surface. Laura’s blood was practically singing to Carmilla as she kissed the back of her hand; her lips brushing over the radial artery. “Th-thank you.” Laura stumbled over her words as she pulled her hand back and self-consciously tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. She almost tripped over her own feet as she headed for the door, with Carmilla following close behind her.

Laura promised to be in touch if there was anything else. Carmilla watched her climb into her car and take off. The second the detective was out of sight, Carmilla went back inside and picked up her phone. “Mattie, it’s me. We don’t need to worry about that cop. I told her I was with William the night of the murder, which conveniently gives our baby brother an alibi too.”

“Who’s a clever Monster?” Mattie answered in a teasing, sing-song, voice. “Mother will be proud. She’s decided William will bring us the next one. We don’t want to draw any more unwanted attention to you just now, now do we?”

“No. We don’t.” Carmilla agreed. She knew there was more to it than Mattie was saying. She and Mother probably thought Carmilla was losing her nerve; not that Carmilla cared. Luring a new girl for Mother’s twisted little game took a lot of time and effort. If Carmilla didn’t have to worry about doing Mother’s bidding then she would be free to pursue her own interests for a while; namely Detective Cutie.   
  


  
“Seriously, Laura? Your main suspect is the Mayor’s daughter.” Danny shook her head incredulously at her old partner. “Jesus, we’re going to be busted down to traffic…”  
“I didn’t know she was the mayor’s daughter when I went to question her!” Laura sulked. She’d definitely gone barking up the wrong tree, but something about the Alchemy Club still didn’t sit right with her. “Besides, Carmilla isn’t going to kick up a fuss about it.”

“So it’s Carmilla now?” Danny looked up sharply from the reports she was reading at her desk. She was already cranky from switching from the night shift back onto days. It would take at least a few days for her body to adjust to the change.

“Miss Karnstein isn’t going to put a complaint in about me. If that’s what you’re worried about.” Laura corrected herself. She had a stack of reports on her own desk, mostly relating to the two cases that Danny had been working on before Betty’s murder. Laura hoped that coming at them with a fresh pair of eyes might reveal something that Danny had overlooked. So far, all she’d managed to find was the start of a migraine.

Laura pulled open the top drawer of her desk, searching for some aspirin to take the edge off. She was still looking around in the drawer when Danny tossed a packet of pills across their adjoining desks. Laura had always hated her doing stuff like that. She would have kept on searching for her own painkillers, had the pain in her head not been reaching boiling point.

With a soft huff of air, she gave in and popped two of the pills out of the strip Danny had tossed her way. She swallowed them dry, wincing at the chalky taste they left behind as they went down. “Water?” Danny offered up a bottle from her desk. She was just trying to be helpful, but it was grating on Laura’s last nerve. She jumped up as she spotted Officer Luce and an excuse for her to get a temporary reprieve from her overbearing partner.

“Officer Luce! Have you got a minute?” The young patrolman stopped on his way to the elevator banks. He looked surprised to be addressed by one of the detectives. He knew Hollis in passing, through his partner Kirsch, but they’d never really spoken before.  
“Sure thing, Detective.” Will approached her desk, but Laura indicated for him to follow her into one of the interview rooms. “Should I be concerned, ma’am?” The young man cracked a smile as he removed his peaked cap.

William Luce looked like he’d just been taken out of a frat house and placed in a neatly pressed uniform. His jet black hair was combed back, and fixed in place with a shiny wax. He had a boyish smile too, which probably charmed a lot of women. Laura could see the resemblance to his older sister. “Not at all. I just had a few quick questions for you. About your sister, Carmilla.” Laura pulled out her notebook to check the alibi Carmilla had given her earlier in the day.

“Kitty? Is she okay?” Will’s expression instantly changed to one of concern. It was all an act of course. Carmilla had already called to warn him the detective might come questioning him. Laura quickly put his mind at rest, reassuring him that his sister was fine. She asked whether he’d seen her two nights ago, getting him to verify the alibi before she told him what was going on.   
  
“Betty?” Will crossed his arms over his chest as he seemed to mull the name over. He shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. My sister isn’t exactly the type who brings girls home to dinner though.”  
“I’m sorry about your friend, Detective. I hope you catch the bastard who did this.” Will placed his hat back on his head, and gave Laura a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He kept his expression straight all the way out the door, until he was sure no one would see him crack a smile; especially not Detective Hollis.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Laura! My office, now!” The homicide detective was almost back at her desk when the Captain appeared at the door of his office, overlooking the bullpen. His cheeks were almost as red as Danny’s hair. The last time Laura had seen him so mad at her, she’d been caught skipping school. Hanging her head down low, she trudged towards the captain’s office. He waited for her to step inside, before slamming the glass door with enough force to make it rattle.

Her father looked tired. His tie was undone, along with the top button of his shirt. Neither was a good sign. He rubbed at his chin as he paced in front of his desk. “Damn it, Laura, I told you to be careful on this case!” Captain Hollis let out a heavy sigh. “Do you know who I had on the phone to me this morning?”  
“I’m guessing it wasn’t Grandma?” Laura knew better than to back answer, especially when her dad looked so close to bursting a blood vessel, but she just couldn’t help herself. She was nowhere with Betty’s case, and her dad wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure.

“Not unless your Grandma was appointed Mayor and forgot to tell me!” John snapped, banging his fist down on his desk as he dropped into his chair.Laura was stunned into silence. She’d never seen her dad like that before. It was like looking at a whole other person. “The Mayor called you?”  
“Called me? She ripped me a new one…” Sherman sighed. His voice grew softer again. He sounded more like her father. “You accused Mayor Morgan’s daughter of murder.”

“That was a… misunderstanding!” Laura argued. She couldn’t believe Carmilla had gone tattling to her mother about it. “I was there apologizing to Miss Karnstein this morning-”  
“Do me a favor, Laura. Don’t go near her. Don’t talk to, or approach, any member of that family. Do I make myself clear?”  
“Understood. Sir.”  


  
“Miss, I’m going to have to see some ID.” One of the burly bouncers guarding the entrance to the Alchemy Club tried to stop Laura from going inside. It was still early evening, and there was no queue to get in. Even the music coming from inside sounded lower like the club was just starting to wake up. Laura was still dressed in the pantsuit she’d worn to work, with her hair tied back and only a little bit of makeup on. She looked a lot younger than she had the night before; when she’d been wearing heels and a dress.

“That good enough?” Laura all but shoved her badge in the man’s face. He grumbled unintelligently, but pulled back the red rope that was blocking off the door, and allowed her to pass. The Alchemy Club hadn’t been Laura’s first stop of the evening. She’d already swung by Carmilla’s house uptown, but the socialite hadn’t been home.

Laura was determined as she strode the length of the club and headed upstairs to the VIP bar. Nobody tried to stop her. Not until she reached the ominous wooden door at the top of the balcony stairs. There was a different doorman standing in front of it this time. He was thin and wiry, with pale skin and sallow cheeks. Laura didn’t recognize him from her last visit. She pulled out her badge, expecting to waltz right in. “Silas Police Department.” The doorman didn’t budge. He barely even glanced at her badge. “Hey! Police! Open up!”

The man’s deep-sunk eyes finally moved to stare down at the tiny woman shoving a police shield under his nose. “Do you have a warrant?” His voice was surprisingly deep for a man who looked like a strong wind could topple him over. Laura was floored by the request. “Excuse me? This is a public bar, I don’t need a warrant. So open up!” Laura felt her anger rising. She was already pissed off from getting a dressing down from her father. She wanted to have it out with Carmilla there and then, and no jumped up security guard with a clipboard was going to stop her.

“Actually, you do. The VIP bar is for member’s only. So you’ll either need a warrant, or you’ll need your name on this list.” He smugly waved his clipboard in front of Laura, like it was the holy grail. Something clicked inside of Laura’s brain. Hadn’t Carmilla told the other doorman to add her name to the list? She tried a different tactic, offering the wiry man a smug smile. “I’m on the list. Laura Hollis.” The man’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the list. After a moment, he finally shook his head.  
“Nope. Sorry.”  
  
Laura felt herself deflate. The breath she had been holding in escaped out as a huff of hot air. “Wait. How about Cutie? Is that on the list?” Laura tried one last ditch effort to get inside. She had no legal reason to be at the club, so a warrant was completely out of the question. The man snorted at the request, but he checked anyway. His expression quickly changed as he reached the bottom of the list. Whatever was written there had him smartening up at the drop of the hat.

“Oh. You’re a guest of Miss Karnstein’s. You should have said, ma’am. Go right on in.” He all but bowed as he opened the door for Laura and gestured for her to go on in. Laura made a mental note to resort to name-dropping first next time. Walking into the bar, Laura was like a bloodhound on the scent as she went in search of Carmilla. The bar was relatively empty, and it didn’t take long for Laura to spot the other woman. Carmilla was on the stage, sitting at the grand piano.

The music she was playing was soft and haunting. It was like something that would be played at a funeral. Carmilla looked sad and withdrawn as her fingers glided effortlessly over the keys. The second she noticed Laura, it was like a switch had been flipped. “Detective, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Carmilla stood up from the piano and made her way over to greet the other woman. She moved with the slinking grace of a cat, her expression predatory as she advanced on the detective; Laura felt like she was being sized up for dinner.

She couldn’t let herself be distracted by Carmilla’s sultry gaze. Clenching her fists, she dug her nails into the fleshy parts of her palms in a bid to keep her focus. “You’re an ass!”  
“Nice to see you too, Cutie.” Carmilla’s smirk was unwavering as she leaned down to the bar and waved for the server’s attention.

“Your mom called my Captain today.” Laura huffed, snatching the glass of scotch that Carmilla had just ordered for herself out of the other woman’s hand. It burnt its way down her throat as she knocked it straight back. Carmilla didn’t protest. She simply ordered two more drinks.  
“Mattie.” She sighed while she waited for the barman to fix their drinks. The sight of a small frown playing on Laura’s forehead had Carmilla elaborating, “My sister. I told her you were here last night. She obviously told Mother. I’m sorry about that. I hope you didn’t get in too much trouble?”

“It could have been worse.” Laura huffed, picking up her second glass of scotch and sipping at it this time. “My Dad’s the captain of the homicide unit. I got off lightly.” She shrugged, her anger slowly subsiding in the other woman’s company.  
So, is that the only reason you came by, Cutie? To tell me I’m an ass?” Carmilla quizzed, making Laura’s cheeks flush with embarrassment again.

“No… Not the only reason.” Laura admitted, feeling her throat closing up as she held Carmilla’s probing gaze. She bit down on her lip, wondering just what she was getting herself into. “Maybe I felt like some company?”  
  
“Well then…” Carmilla hopped up onto the bar, reaching for the first bottle she could get her hands on. Her short black skirt rode up as she leaned over, giving Laura one hell of a view. Carmilla caught her staring as she turned back around, holding a bottle of tequila. She didn’t seem to mind the way Laura was looking at her. If anything, she seemed to deliberately lean forward, pushing out her chest as she offered Laura a seductive smile. “You came to the right place, Creampuff.”

The hours passed in a blur, with Laura’s apprehension slowly slipping away. She really began to come out of her shell around the other woman.

“So then I shout for this guy to stop. And I’m standing there in this uniform that’s too big for me, my sleeves are falling over my hands and my hat keeps dropping in my eyes, and this guy is like ten foot tall. I’m not exaggerating!” Laura started laughing, swatting at Carmilla’s arm as the other girl rolled her eyes.

The tequila bottle was almost empty, mostly thanks to Carmilla, and Laura had started telling some of her war stories from her first year on the beat as a patrol officer.  
“Stop laughing! It was, like, the scariest moment of my life when he pulled out this huge machete!” Laura admonished the other woman.

“So what did you do?” Carmilla leaned her chin on the palm of her hand, giving Laura her full attention. The other woman’s cheeks had a rosy glow to them from all of the alcohol. Her lips were full and pouting; it was actually killing Carmilla not to lean in and kiss her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually listened to what a girl had to say. Usually, it was all about nodding along and looking attentive, while counting down the minutes until she could get them into bed.

“Well, first off, I totally panicked. Somehow I ended up ejecting the clip from my gun. It just dropped to the ground, like a stone; and there was this huge clatter…” Laura found it hard to keep it together as Carmilla buried her face in her shoulder with a snort of laughter. It was difficult to concentrate with Carmilla’s fingers trailing lightly over her arm.

“What did you do?” Carmilla found herself actually caring for once. It wasn’t an act just to lure Laura in. She genuinely wanted to know more about the other girl.

“Okay, before I tell you, there’s something you should know. Going through the police academy, when you’re a women, is tough. Doing it when you barely scrape past five foot, is impossible. All I heard for years was how I wasn’t tough enough. I wasn’t big. I wasn’t strong… People were always telling me I should quit. That I should just give up…” Laura had a faraway look in her eyes like her attention was elsewhere. Carmilla brought her back to the here and now with a soft kiss to her cheek. It surprised them both.

“What did you do?” She repeated her earlier question, watching Laura closely as something shifted in her expression.  
“I ran towards him, screaming like a mad woman, and scared him so much that he dropped the machete.” Laura was smiling proudly as Carmilla cracked up laughing.  
“You rushed a 200lb neo-nazi, who was wielding a machete? How are you even still alive, Creampuff?”  
“He thought I was total nut job...” Laura answered with a shrug. “He got scared and just dropped the knife.”

“You don’t like being told what your limitations are very much, do you?” Carmilla sobered up as she looked the young detective square in the eyes, her gaze occasionally dropping to those full lips of hers.  
“Not really,” Laura admitted, with an almost painfully shy smile as she pushed her hair back behind her ear. “Whenever anyone tells me what not to do, it tends to backfire and have the opposite effect.”  
“Really?” Carmilla started leaning in, bringing their lips ever closer. “Well, in that case, you definitely shouldn’t kiss me back right now.”

That was all the warning Laura got before Carmilla’s lips were on hers, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Maybe there wouldn’t be. Laura could honestly say she couldn’t care less. Nothing outside of that moment seemed to matter. Laura’s anger and her grief were all slipping away from her, quickly being replaced by raw, desperate, need. Her fingers became tangled in Carmilla’s raven curls as she tried to pull her in closer.

Tongues, teeth, and lips clashed as each woman tried to come out on top. Laura wasn’t easily bested, and that was just one more thing that Carmilla liked about her. She bit down on the detective’s lip, hard enough to make her whimper, but not to draw any blood. Carmilla was desperate to taste the other woman; in every way imaginable. It took every ounce of self-control that Carmilla possessed to pull away without sinking her teeth into the soft, meaty flesh of Laura’s throat. The detective’s wandering hand running up her thigh wasn’t helping matters much.

“What shouldn’t I be doing now?” Laura was breathing heavily as they pulled apart. Her eyes were hooded over, her expression heavy with lust. Carmilla leaned in to kiss at her neck before answering, her voice thick and sultry.  
  
“You shouldn’t come home with me.” Carmilla was being brutally honest. She would devour the tiny girl; chew her up and then spit her back out again. She’d done it before, to countless, faceless, women. As much as she wanted Laura - craved her as desperately as she craved the sweet nectar of life that had kept her alive for so long - she didn’t want to hurt her.  
“No. I shouldn’t.” Laura agreed though she was already getting to her feet, pulling Carmilla up along with her.   
  
It was times like these that Carmilla was grateful for the car service that her sister’s club offered. Sitting in the back of one of the many Lincoln Town Cars that the club owned - specifically for use by their VIP clientele - she had a newfound appreciation of the spacious back seat and the blacked out privacy screen up front. Detective Hollis was straddling her hips, while they picked up where they’d left off back inside. The younger woman tasted like expensive scotch and cheap coffee. Carmilla couldn’t get enough.

One of her hands found the back of Laura’s neck, while the other slipped under her shirt. Carmilla raked her nails lightly over Laura’s taut stomach, eliciting a moan that had the tips of Carmilla’s fangs straining against her gums. The other woman was wound tighter than a three-dollar watch. Carmilla could practically feel her flesh humming everywhere she touched her. She wondered how long it had been since the detective last had any kind of release, but the thought of someone else touching the tiny human sent ripples of anger and jealousy coursing through her.

Carmilla didn’t want to think about who else might have come before her; just as long as she was the last. The thought struck her like a sucker punch to the gut. “What’s wrong?” Asked Laura, sensing the sudden tension in the other woman’s shoulders.

“Nothing, Cupcake.” Carmilla’s lie slipped out smoothly. Being possessive was nothing new for the vampire. Like any other predator, she simply hated to share the spoils of the hunt. She just wasn’t used to wanting anyone - or anything that wasn’t blood - quite so badly.

The second the driver pulled up outside of her house Carmilla had the door open and Laura out of the car. She scooped the tiny detective up and carried her up to the porch. Laura let out a drunken giggle at the other woman’s surprising show of strength. She had her legs wrapped around Carmilla’s hips and her fingers buried in her hair as she greedily kissed her like it was the only chance she would ever get. Carmilla kissed back with just as much zeal.

She pressed the younger woman up against the front door as she searched the shallow pockets of her leather pants for her house key. Coming up short, and missing having her hands on Laura, Carmilla let out a frustrated growl and turned the doorknob so hard that it snapped off in her hand. She tossed it aside onto the overgrown front lawn, deciding it was a problem for another day. If they didn’t get inside soon she’d take Laura right there and then on her porch for the whole neighborhood to see.

“Did you just-” Laura started to ask but was cut off as Carmilla’s tongue slipped into her open mouth. She carried her prize up the grand staircase, discarding both of their shirts before they reached the top.  
  
“Jesus…” Carmilla let out a breathy sigh as she placed Laura down on her bed and took in the sight of her chiseled abs. Leaning down, she ran her lips over them, tracing the contours with her tongue while she unburdened Laura of her pants. The younger woman writhed impatiently beneath her. Carmilla could practically taste her arousal. Laura’s fingers curled into fists as she gripped Carmilla’s hair, urging her head further south to where she wanted her teasing lips the most.

Carmilla didn’t give in that easy. She moved back up Laura’s stomach, kissing a path all the way back up to her mouth. “Carmilla…” She gasped, arching into her touch as Carmilla stroked her already sensitive core over her underwear. Laura’s nerve endings felt like they were on fire. It was like Carmilla was touching her everywhere at once. Her lips found the younger woman’s pulse point, with her teeth raking ever so lightly against the skin there.

“Last chance,” Carmilla growled in her ear, her skillful fingers slipping beneath the waistband of Laura’s underwear.  
“For what?” Laura gasped, sure she was about to lose her mind at any moment if Carmilla didn’t hurry it up.  
  
“To tell me to stop… To save your soul.” Purred Carmilla. She wanted Laura. Wanted her more than she had wanted anyone in a very long time, but she had to be sure that Laura wanted it too. That it wasn’t just some drunken tryst born out of grief and anger. Laura answered her with a searing kiss that almost made Carmilla forget just which of them was the predator amongst them.  
“I don’t want to be saved." 

* * *

 

  
“The detective came back again tonight. Mother called the police Captain. Obviously, the message wasn’t passed on.” Mattie sat in the plush chair behind her desk, glaring at the frozen CCTV images on the screen in front of her. “Something needs to be done, and our dear sister can’t be trusted to do what is needed.”  
  
Will lingered over her shoulder, following her gaze. “No. I don’t think she can.” He crossed his arms over his chest, the standard issue police shirt he was wearing stretching at the shoulders. “Leave it to me, sister. I’ll take care of Hollis and reign Kitty back in-”

“Leave Carmilla be,” Mattie said plainly, without even looking up from the images of the detective and her sister on the screen. She didn’t need to raise her voice for the threat to be made clear. She could do that with a perfectly level voice.  
  
“As you wish.” Will bit his tongue. Mattie and their mother were always babying Carmilla. Over four-hundred years old and she was still a spoiled child. Carmilla was mother’s favorite. They all knew it.

“I’ll deal with Hollis tonight.” He tucked a weapon that was definitely not his service pistol into his belt. “I’ll leave Kitty to Mother.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

  
“Great.” Danny huffed at her phone as Kirsch’s name flashed up on the caller ID. It was nearly two in the morning and her night off to boot, whatever Kirsch was calling her directly for couldn’t be good. “What is it, Wilson?”   
“Danny, um… I… I need you, bro. Like now.”

Danny’s first instinct was to hang up on him, but the fact that he didn’t bite at her using his first name was a clear indication that something was wrong. “Kirsch, what is it? What’s wrong?”   
“Can’t say over the phone. You really need to get here. I’ll text you my location.”   
“Damn it, Kirsch. Cut the cloak and dagger act and just tell me what’s going on.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. For a second Danny thought he might have hung up on her. Then, “It’s Laura.” The sizable lump that formed in the sergeant’s throat took some swallowing before she could reply.   
“Laura? Is she… What happened? Is she okay?”   
“No. She’s not. It’s bad, Danny. Real bad.”  
  


* * *

 

Laura’s eyes cracked open slowly, like rusted old hinges on a door that hadn’t been opened in years. She was lying in an unfamiliar bed. The silk sheets were cold against her clammy skin. Her head felt like a ton weight as she lifted it from the pillow.

She was alone, which was a small mercy. Laura wasn’t sure she was quite ready to face Carmilla Karnstein’s smug face just yet. She wasn’t even sober enough to consider herself hungover. The heavy curtains up at the window were pulled shut, but Laura could just make out a crack of light coming through where they didn’t quite meet. So it was daytime.

That was all she had to go on. There were no clocks in the room. Nothing that showed the time. Laura couldn’t even find her phone anywhere. Dragging herself out of bed she searched around the heaps of clothing on the floor. Coming up empty there she tried Carmilla’s dresser. “Where is it?” She muttered to herself. Her voice sounded hoarse even to her own ears.

Laura sat back down on the edge of the bed, taking a minute as a wave of nausea washed over her. Forgetting all about her quest for her phone she stood and stumbled into the bathroom. Leaning against the sink, she splashed some cold water on her face.

The floor tiles were already wet, suggesting Carmilla had showered before pulling a disappearing act. The cop in Laura was never quiet for very long. She was torn between seeking her out and getting dressed and taking off. She padded barefoot back into the bedroom and pulled on her clothes.

The only thing she couldn’t find was her shirt, but if she recalled correctly then it was somewhere on the staircase. She rifled through Carmilla’s closet and pulled out a black tank top to put on over her bra. It would do until she could find her own shirt.

Laura ventured out into the hall and down the stairs, grabbing her shirt on the way. The top two buttons were missing and there was a small tear in the collar, from where Carmilla had impatiently ripped it off her. Deciding it was a lost cause, Laura dropped it and went off in search of Carmilla.

She found her in the kitchen, dressed in only the shirt she’d been wearing the night before and a pair of lacy black underwear. She was leaning against the counter, idly flipping through a magazine.

Laura took a minute to appreciate the view. She felt conflicted. Her stomach was tied up in knots with guilt. She’d slept with a suspect. That was a line she had never expected to cross. Even if Carmilla had been cleared, she had still been a person of interest.

At the same time, she couldn’t deny her attraction to the other woman. Part of her regretted what had happened, but a bigger part of her wanted it to happen again.

“Enjoying the view there, Creampuff?” Carmilla didn’t even look up from her magazine. She had heard the human girl moving around upstairs and had tracked her footsteps as they’d grown closer.

Carmilla had awoken a few hours earlier to the incessant ringing of the detective’s phone. It had rung four times before she’d switched it off. Carmilla had laid there a while longer until she’d caught herself watching the other woman sleep. After that she’d made herself get up and go downstairs, letting Laura sleep.

“What time is it? You should have woken me.” Laura deliberately ignored the teasing tone of Carmilla’s question. She walked further into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot Carmilla had made earlier.

Usually, she would have felt self-conscious about helping herself in someone else’s home; after spending the night in Carmilla’s bed it hardly seemed to be overstepping the mark to help herself to her coffee. It was a strong and bitter blend. Laura found it oddly fitting of the other woman.

“It’s noon.” Said Carmilla. She had her chin resting on the palm of her hand as she turned the page over, her eyes still fixed on the magazine in front of her.

“Noon?” She winced as Laura screeched. “Noon? I should have been at work hours ago! Where’s my phone? I’m surprised my Dad hasn’t put out an APB on me yet!”

Carmilla reached into her shirt and pulled it out of her bra. Laura was red-faced as she snatched it from her, and it wasn’t just out of temper. “You turned it off?”  
“It kept ringing.” Carmilla gave a halfhearted shrug of her shoulders.   
“It’s a phone! That’s the point!” Laura was quickly working herself up into a frenzy.

She’d slept with a suspect. She was hours late for work and probably smelled like a brewery. To top it all off, Carmilla had turned off her phone and was standing there acting like it was no big deal. Laura wasn’t sure how one person could make her feel so much all at the same time.

She went to turn the phone back on, expecting a barrage of texts and calls from her Dad, but Carmilla swiftly plucked it out of her hand. “I thought you could use the rest,” Her gaze was dark and intense as it narrowed on the smaller girl. She took a step forward, pinning Laura against the counter. “You had a long night.”

Laura swallowed hard, her own eyes drifting subconsciously to Carmilla’s mouth. She bit down on her lip, trying to stop herself from doing something stupid.

She cleared her throat and tried looking Carmilla in the eye. “Thank you… but I can’t just have my phone off. I have a very important job and-”  
  
“Hmmm. Of course, you do, officer.” Carmilla purred in her ear, her hands ghosting lightly over Laura’s hips.  
“That’s d-detective.” Laura tried her hardest to keep her voice from cracking. She managed - only just - but was betrayed by her own body as Carmilla peppered kisses to her throat and a desperate moan slipped past her lips.

“You know, Detective, if you weren’t in such a hurry I could take you upstairs and show you just how much I appreciate your service to this fine city.” Carmilla was already working on the buckle of Laura’s belt, and Laura wasn’t stopping her.

“I can’t, I-” She was abruptly cut off as Carmilla’s hand dipped below the waistband of her underwear. Long, slender fingers curled and uncurled, stroking her through the flimsy material. “I… I… I guess ten more minutes can’t hurt.”  
  
Ten minutes turned into more like an hour. By the time Laura had showered and dressed again - stealing a blazer from Carmilla’s wardrobe to save heading back home - it was mid-afternoon and Laura was seriously late for work.

She was hoping to sneak into the precinct unseen, but she’d barely stepped out of the elevator on the third floor when Danny was on her. “Where were you last night?”

“What?” If Laura had been a cartoon character her eyes would have popped right out of her head. Her surprise at being called out quickly gave way to anger. It was the only thing stopping her from admitting everything to her right then and there.

“You have no right to ask me that! We’re not dating anymore, Danny! Where I go is none of your business.” Laura’s hands found their way to her hips as she pushed her chest out, trying to look and sound way more confident than she actually felt.

The look of hurt that flashed across Danny’s face lasted for only a second, but it was long enough to make Laura feel like a total jackass. She started to apologize but didn’t get very far.

“I have no right? I called you a dozen times! I sat outside your apartment from 3 am this morning, going out of my mind with worry and you just show up here and try to blow me off?”   
“Why were you at my apartment?” Laura frowned. She felt like they were having two separate conversations.

“You don’t know, do you?” Danny looked at her long and hard like she was staring down a suspect and waiting for her to crack.  
“Know what? Why were you at my apartment? What’s going on?” Laura finally looked around and found more than a few pairs of eyes on her. She suddenly felt like there must be a scarlet letter pinned to her borrowed blazer.

It was like everyone knew.

“Come on.” Danny grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest empty room. It was an interview room, which only served to make Laura feel all the more under the spotlight. She thought about sitting but decided that would only make her feel more like a criminal.

She’d slept with someone she’d suspected of murder. Carmilla Karnstein. The mayor’s daughter. A woman her father had explicitly told her to stay away from. Had someone seen her and Carmilla leaving the club?

She stood with her arms folded over her chest, waiting impatiently as Danny closed the door behind her. She was pinching at the bridge of her nose as she turned around to face her former partner. “I tried calling you. When you didn’t pick up I went by your place… and you weren’t there.”

“I… I was out. My phone must have died.” It wasn’t a total lie. She hadn’t been able to switch it back on after Carmilla had given it back.   
“Where were you?”   
“I was out. What does it matter?”

“Theo Straka is dead.” Danny finally stopped skirting the question and answered her.   
“Good. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.” Said Laura.

She wasn’t sure what that had to do with her, or why Danny wanted to know where she was last night. Had she not been so preoccupied with thoughts of Carmilla she might have put it together quicker. “He was murdered, Laura.”

Laura’s shoulders sank. “Was it Maria’s father? He went for him after the ruling but I thought he’d-”   
“Jacobson had a heart attack the day after the trial ended. He’s been laid up in the hospital since. IA has the case. They’re keeping it quiet, but the whole precinct knows they want to talk to you.”

“What? That’s insane! I didn’t touch him!” Laura protested as everything suddenly clicked into place. Danny didn’t know where she spent the night, or who she spent it with. She was trying to find out if Laura had an alibi. “I would never-”

“I know.” Danny held her hands up in front of her in a stopping motion. “I know you’re not capable of something like that. Whoever you were with last night, that’s your business. I get it. I just… I worry about you. I want to help.”

Laura felt even more like a jackass. She wanted to tell Danny the truth, but at the same time, she knew it would only hurt her more. She couldn’t tell her she’d slept with Carmilla. “I was with someone. We were at a club until about ten and then we went back to her place.”

“LaF let Straka’s TOD slip. He was most likely killed between eleven and one last night. This girl, do you…” Danny paused, choosing her words carefully. The conversation with her ex-partner would have been painful enough even if she hadn’t been the last person Laura had slept with. “Do you have her contact details? I mean, do you know her well-”

“Yes.” Laura croaked out. The only way it could have been any worse was if it was her father asking her those questions. “Yes. I can contact her.”   
“Okay. Good.” Danny nodded, feeling just as uncomfortable as Laura did.

“Um, thanks… For giving me the heads up. I’m going to go see my Dad and then I’m going down to Internal Affairs to give them a statement.”   
“You should contact your union rep, maybe call a lawyer-”  
“I don’t need a lawyer. I didn’t do anything to Theo Straka.”

Danny let out a heavy sigh. For a seasoned cop, Laura could be so naive sometimes. She still believed in things like truth and justice. “I believe that, but you were overheard threatening him twice in two days after the trial. Cover your bases. Call a lawyer.”

Laura promised she would. Her father would probably give her the same advice anyway. She slipped out of the interrogation room and headed to the Captain’s office. She was barely halfway across the bullpen when JP called out to her. “Detective Hollis! Might I have a minute?”

“Uh, not really, JP. I really need to speak to the Captain.”   
“I really must insist.” The scene of crime investigator persisted, reaching out to take her arm. Laura was getting really sick of people doing that.

“JP, I really don’t have time-”   
“It’s about yours and Detective Lawrence’s case. The triple homicide. I really need you to see something. I’m… I’m not quite sure what to make of it, and well…”

“What is it?” Laura asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. “What is it you need to show me?”  
“It’s… well… We collected CCTV evidence from Miss Spielsdorf’s neighbor from the night of her death and well… I, I don’t know quite how to explain it. I think you should really see it for yourself.”  
  



End file.
